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Irish Communications Market
Quarterly Key Data Report
Data as of Q1 2017
Reference: ComReg 17/50
Version: Final
Date: 08/06/2017
An Coimisiún um Rialáil Cumarsáide Commission for Communications Regulation 1 Dockland Central, Guild Street, Dublin 1, D01 E4X0, Ireland Telephone +353 1 804 9600 Fax +353 1 804 9680 Email [email protected] Web www.comreg.ie
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Table of Figures Figure 1.1.1 – Fixed, Mobile & Broadcasting Retail Revenues ........................................... 10 Figure 1.2.1 – Fixed and Mobile Voice Call Volumes (Minutes) .......................................... 11 Figure 1.2.2 – Total Voice Traffic .................................................................................. 12 Figure 1.3.1 – Consumer Price Index and Communications Sub-Component ...................... 13 Figure 1.4.1 – Total Subscriptions (Fixed and Mobile)...................................................... 14 Figure 2.1.1 – Profile of Fixed Line Retail Revenues ........................................................ 15 Figure 2.1.1.1 – Fixed Retail Revenue Market Shares ...................................................... 16 Figure 2.1.1.2 – Fixed Revenue Market Shares ............................................................... 17 Figure 2.2.1.1 – Narrowband Fixed Access Paths and VoB Subscriptions ............................ 18 Figure 2.2.1.2 – Direct & Indirect Narrowband Fixed Access Paths and VoB Subscriptions .... 18 Figure 2.2.2 – Narrowband Indirect Access Paths ........................................................... 19 Figure 2.2.3 – Fixed Voice Subscriptions ........................................................................ 20 Figure 2.2.4 – Fixed Market Retail Subscription Type ...................................................... 21 Figure 2.3.1 – Fixed Voice Call Volume (Minutes) ........................................................... 22 Figure 2.3.2 – Fixed Voice Call Volume per Business Subscriber (Minutes) ......................... 23 Figure 2.3.3 – Fixed Voice Call Volume per Residential Subscriber (Minutes) ...................... 23 Figure 2.4.1 – Fixed Numbers Ported ............................................................................ 24 Figure 2.5.1 - Residential Standalone Fixed Voice Basket (National) .................................. 27 Figure 2.5.2 - Residential Standalone Fixed Voice Basket (International) ........................... 27 Figure 2.5.3 - Business Standalone Fixed Voice Basket (National) ..................................... 28 Figure 2.5.4 - Business Standalone Fixed Voice Basket (International) .............................. 29 Figure 3.1.1 – Total Number of Active Broadband Subscriptions ....................................... 30 Figure 3.1.2 – Total Broadband Subscriptions ................................................................ 31 Figure 3.1.3 – Quarterly Growth in Broadband Subscriptions ............................................ 32 Figure 3.1.4 – Broadband Subscriptions by Platform ....................................................... 33 Figure 3.1.5 – Broadband Subscriptions - Net additions ................................................... 33 Figure 3.1.6 – Broadband Subscriptions by Subscription Type .......................................... 34 Figure 3.1.7 – Fixed Broadband Download Speeds and Subscription Type .......................... 35 Figure 3.1.8 – Fixed Broadband Download Speeds and Platform ....................................... 35 Figure 3.1.9 – Fixed Broadband Subscriptions by Advertised (Headline) Download Speeds... 36 Figure 3.1.10 – Subscription Market Share of Fixed Broadband Market .............................. 37 Figure 3.1.11 – Subscription Market Share of Mobile Broadband Market ............................ 37 Figure 3.2.1 - Provision of DSL Access .......................................................................... 38 Figure 3.2.2 – Number of Unbundled Local Loops ........................................................... 39 Figure 3.3.1 – Provision of VDSL Access ........................................................................ 40 Figure 3.4.1 – Fixed Broadband and Mobile Data Volumes ............................................... 40 Figure 3.4.2 – Monthly Traffic per Fixed Broadband Subscription by Type .......................... 41 Figure 3.4.3 – Monthly Traffic per Broadband Subscription by Platform ............................. 41 Figure 3.5.1 – Fixed Broadband Subscriptions per Capita ................................................. 42 Figure 3.5.2 – Household Broadband Subscriptions, 2012 - 2016 ..................................... 43 Figure 3.5.3 – Household Broadband Penetration, 2007 - 2016 ........................................ 44 Figure 3.6.1 – Wi-Fi Hotspots, Access Points and Minutes of Use ...................................... 45 Figure 3.7.1 - Residential Fixed Broadband Basket (National) ........................................... 48 Figure 3.7.2 - Residential Fixed Broadband Basket (International) .................................... 49
3 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Figure 3.7.3 - Business Fixed Broadband Basket (National) .............................................. 50 Figure 3.7.4 - Business Fixed Broadband Basket (International) ....................................... 50 Figure 3.7.5 - Residential Mobile Broadband Basket (National) ......................................... 51 Figure 3.7.6 - Residential Mobile Broadband Basket (International) .................................. 52 Figure 3.7.7 - Business Mobile Broadband Basket (National) ............................................ 52 Figure 3.7.8 - Business Mobile Broadband Basket (International)...................................... 53 Figure 4.1.1 – Mobile Subscriptions .............................................................................. 54 Figure 4.1.2 – Mobile Subscribers using Data Services over 3G/4G Networks ..................... 55 Figure 4.1.3 – Irish Mobile Penetration Rate ................................................................... 56 Figure 4.2.1 – Profile of Pre-Paid and Post-Paid Subscriptions .......................................... 57 Figure 4.2.2 – Mobile Subscriptions by Pre-pay/Post-pay ................................................. 57 Figure 4.2.3 – Profile of Pre-Paid and Post-Paid Subscriptions by Operator ......................... 58 Figure 4.2.4 – Profile of Pre and Post Paid Mobile Broadband Subscriptions ........................ 58 Figure 4.2.5 – Post-Paid Business and Residential Mobile Subscriptions ............................. 59 Figure 4.2.6 – Mobile Subscriptions by Network Used ...................................................... 60 Figure 4.3.1 – SMS, MMS, Other Data and Call Minute Volumes ....................................... 61 Figure 4.3.2 – Voice Call Minute Volumes by Type .......................................................... 61 Figure 4.3.3 – Mobile to Mobile Voice Call Minute Volumes by Type ................................... 62 Figure 4.3.4 – Monthly Mobile Voice Call Minutes per Subscription by Type ........................ 62 Figure 4.3.5 – Monthly Mobile Messaging and Data Volumes per Subscription .................... 63 Figure 4.3.6 – Mobile Data Volumes by Technology......................................................... 64 Figure 4.4.1 – Total Mobile Retail Revenues ................................................................... 64 Figure 4.5.1 – Monthly Average Revenue per User by Type .............................................. 66 Figure 4.6.1 – Market Share – Business and M2M Subscriptions ....................................... 67 Figure 4.7.1 – Market Share – Number of Subscriptions (inc. mobile broadband and M2M) .. 68 Figure 4.7.2 – Market Share – Number of Subscriptions (ex. mobile broadband and M2M) ... 69 Figure 4.7.3 –Market Share by Revenue ........................................................................ 69 Figure 4.8.1 – Gross Subscription Additions and Numbers Ported ..................................... 70 Figure 4.9.1 – Residential Pre-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (National) ...................... 73 Figure 4.9.2 – Residential Pre-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (International) ............... 74 Figure 4.9.3 – Residential Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (National) .................... 74 Figure 4.9.4 – Residential Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (International) .............. 75 Figure 4.9.5 – Business Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (National) ....................... 76 Figure 4.9.6 – Business Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (International) ................. 76 Figure 5.1.1 – TV Homes by Reception Type .................................................................. 77 Figure 5.1.2 – TV Homes by Reception Method ............................................................... 78 Figure 5.1.3 – TV Homes 2012 –2017 ........................................................................... 79 Figure 5.1.4 – Broadband, Games Console and PVR Trends ............................................. 80 Figure 5.1.5 – Pay TV vs Free to Air TV Homes, 2012 - 2017 ........................................... 81 Table A1: Sky Ireland’s Distribution of Subscriptions Type ............................................... 82 Figure A2: Sky Ireland’s Distribution of Subscription Type ............................................... 83 Table A3: List of Respondents ...................................................................................... 84 4 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Corrigendum to Q1 2017 Report Four operators informed ComReg about incorrect historically provided information:
Note 1: Fixed line retail revenues were revised for Q4 2016 following a revision by Fastcom
with this revision totalling -€1K. This in turn affected total retail market revenues.
Note 2: Fixed line wholesale revenues were revised for Q4 2016 following a revision due to a
ComReg data transposition issue with this revision totalling +€171K.
Note 3: Fixed voice minutes were revised for Q4 2016 following a revision by Three with this
revision totalling -352K minutes.
Note 4: Mobile voice minutes were revised for Q3 2016 and Q4 2016 following a revision by
Lycamobile with such revisions ranging from -14K to -667K minutes.
Note 5: Single play internet subscriptions and double play fixed telephony and internet
subscriptions were revised for Q4 2016 following revisions by Three with these revisions
amounting to -407 and -248 respectively. This in turn affected total fixed subscriptions
(totalling -655) and fixed voice subscirptions (-248). Broadband subscriptions were not
impacted.
Note 6: Mobile broadband subscriptions were revised from Q3 2016 to Q4 2016 inclusive
following revisions by Meteor due to historically provided information with such revisions
ranging from +4,684 to +7,153. These revisions in turn inversely impacted mobile
subscriptions (exc. Mobile broadband and M2M) with such revisions ranging from -4,684 to -
7,153.
Legal Disclaimer
The information and statistics contained within this document are derived from a variety of sources, but are mostly reliant on data obtained from authorised operators.
This document does not constitute commercial or other advice. No warranty, representation or undertaking of any kind, express or implied, is given in relation to the information and statistics contained within this document.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither the Commission for Communications Regulation (“ComReg”) nor any of its employees, servants or agents will be liable for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with your use of, or any reliance whatsoever placed on this document (including, but not limited to, indirect or consequential loss or damages, loss of income, profit or opportunity, loss of or damage to property and claims of third parties) even if ComReg has been advised of the possibility of such loss or damages or such loss or damages were reasonably foreseeable.
5 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Summary Comparing Q4 2016 to Q1 2017 overall industry retail revenues decreased by 3.0%.
Total retail revenues in the twelve months to March 2017 at €3.090 billion were up from
€3.045 billion over the 12 months previous. There were 1,372,898 fixed broadband
subscriptions this quarter which was an increase of 0.9% from Q4 2016 and an increase
of 3.9% compared to Q1 2016. Overall voice traffic volumes decreased by 2.2% this
quarter. Presented below is a tabular summary of the data presented throughout this
Quarterly Key Data Report.
Irish Quarterly Communications Market Data Q1 2017
Q1 2017 Q4 2016 Quarterly Change
Annual Change
Total Retail Market Revenues1 €763,398,858 €786,978,056 -3.0% 2.2%
Fixed Line Retail Revenues2 €353,671,465 €352,167,098 0.4% 7.6%
Mobile Retail Revenues €377,351,328 €401,847,730 -6.1% -0.8%
Fixed Voice Subscriptions6 1,479,132 1,475,413 0.3% 0.2% Total Mobile Subscriptions (inc. Mobile broadband and M2M) 5,953,122 5,969,928 -0.3% 2.4%
Machine to Machine Subscriptions 707,598 670,389 5.6% 23.0%
Mobile Broadband Subscriptions7 348,820 356,574 -2.2% -7.8%
Mobile Subscriptions7 (exc. Mobile broadband and M2M) 4,896,704 4,942,965 -0.9% 0.7%
1 Mobile and fixed line wholesale revenues are excluded from this figure. 2 Fixed line retail revenues were revised for Q4 2016. See note 1 within the corrigendum. 3 Fixed line wholesale revenues were revised for Q4 2016. See note 2 within the corrigendum. 4 Fixed voice minutes were revised for Q4 2016. See note 3 within the corrigendum. 5 Mobile Voice minutes were revised for Q3 2016 and Q4 2016. See note 4 within the corrigendum. 6 Fixed subscriptions and fixed voice subscriptions were revised for Q4 2016. See note 5 within the corrigendum. 7 Mobile broadband subscriptions and mobile subscriptions (exc. Mobile broadband and M2M) were revised for Q3 2016 and Q4 2016. See note 6 within the corrigendum.
6 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
• Overall electronic communications network and service retail revenues at the end
of March 2017 were over €763 million for the quarter. Industry retail revenues
declined by 3.0% this quarter but increased by 2.2% compared to Q1 2016.
• At the end of March 2017 there were 1,479,132 fixed voice subscriptions in
Ireland, an increase of 0.3% since last quarter and an increase of 0.2% since Q1
2016.
• Total voice traffic minutes decreased by 2.2% this quarter and were 2.7% lower
than in Q1 2016. Mobile minutes form the majority of voice minutes at 76.0%,
with fixed minutes representing the remaining 24.0%. Mobile voice minutes
decreased by 1.3% while fixed voice minutes decreased by 5.0% this quarter.
• Fixed broadband subscriptions increased by 0.9% this quarter and were up by
3.9% compared to Q1 2016. VDSL8 (up by 5.4%), FWA (up by 1.8%), cable (up
by 0.3%) and FTTP 9 subscriptions (up by 58.4%) increased this quarter while
DSL10 (down by 4.8%), satellite (down by 1.4%) and mobile broadband (down by
2.2%) all fell this quarter.
• The estimated fixed broadband household penetration rate 11 was 70.4% in Q1
2017. The fixed broadband per capita penetration rate was 29.1%. The broadband
per capita penetration rate (including mobile broadband) was 36.5%.
• Average fixed broadband speeds continue to increase. In Q1 2017 approximately
79.2% of all fixed broadband subscriptions were equal to or greater than 10Mbps
up from 74.1% in Q1 201612. 67.0% of all fixed broadband subscriptions were
equal to or greater than 30Mbps, up from 58.1% in Q1 2016.
• At the end of March 2017 there were 5,953,122 mobile subscriptions (including
mobile broadband and M2M) in Ireland, a decrease of 0.3% since the last quarter.
The mobile penetration rate was 126.3% including mobile broadband and M2M
subscriptions and 103.9% excluding mobile broadband and M2M subscriptions.
8 VDSL refers to very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line. These lines are typically utilised in the provision of next generation broadband services.
9 FTTP (fibre to the premises) refers to a range of fibre access installations such as fibre to the home (FTTH), fibre to the premises (FTTP) and fibre to the curb.
10 DSL refers to a digital subscriber line, the means by which broadband speeds (i.e. in excess of 144k downstream) are delivered over the copper telecoms network.
11 This estimate excludes business subscriptions and mobile broadband subscriptions.
12 Note: The method employed for calculating broadband speeds changed in Q2 2016 and applied retrospectively.
7 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
• The number of voice and data subscribers using 3G/4G networks decreased to
4,278,646 this quarter, down by 1.4% from Q4 2016 but up by 5.7% compared to
Q1 2016.
• There were 460,910 gross additions in the number of mobile subscriptions. Of
these, 91,128 were subscriptions with ported numbers. On average, there were
91,713 numbers ported and 508,945 total gross additions per quarter over the last
12 months.
• In Q1 2017 mobile ARPU was €22.11 per month, down from €24.12 per month in
Q1 2016. Declining mobile ARPU is likely to be a reflection of a number of factors
such as those attributable to increased sales of bundled products (combining
mobile with fixed calls, broadband and TV) and reductions in mobile roaming and
termination rates, among others.
Notes to data:
• FWA broadband traffic reported for Q4 2016 is partially based on an estimate from
Imagine Telecommunications Business Limited due to issues with reporting
accurate data for this metric.
• Cable broadband traffic reported from Q3 2015 to Q1 2017 is based on an
estimates from Virgin Media Ireland Limited due to issues with reporting accurate
data for this metric.
• As of Q4 2016 FTTP and satellite subscriptions have been broken out from the
previously reported ‘Other’ category. Additional subscriptions for FTTP (fibre to the
premises, including fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the curb) are included
from Q3 2016.
• As of Q2 2016 two new mobile operators have been included, ID and Virgin Media.
• As of Q3 2015 additional leased line revenue information is available from three
operators. One operator has provided additional information on Wi-Fi services.
Hence, information since that quarter is not strictly comparable with data
published in previous periods.
• As of Q2 2015 mobile to mobile voice traffic between O2 and Three is treated as
on-net traffic.
8 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
• As of Q4 2014 a more precise breakdown of business versus residential fixed
subscriptions (fixed voice and fixed broadband subscriptions) is available following
an operator upgrade of its reporting systems.
• Following the completion of the Three’s acquisition of O2, Three, O2 and 48 brands
are reported under the umbrella of the Three Group as of Q2 2014.
• Both Meteor and Eir mobile brands are reported under the umbrella of Eir Group
Mobile.
• Sky Ireland’s TV subscriptions and TV revenues are not included in this report. Sky
Ireland’s distribution of subscriptions by type (single play, double play or triple
play) is instead estimated using the percentage distribution of Sky Ireland’s
subscriptions as obtained from market survey data conducted by Behaviour &
Attitudes Ltd on behalf of ComReg. For more details on survey method, see the
Appendix on page 82.
• Irish population estimates of 4,712,200 and an estimated household number of
1,720,500 are used in this report. These statistics are obtained from the Central
Statistics Office (CSO) Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) Q1 2017.
• A number of external sources are used for international comparisons. These
include the CSO, Analysys Mason, and Strategy Analytics (Teligen).
• In most cases data has been rounded to one decimal place in this report.
• Not all charts in this report may sum exactly to 100% due to rounding.
• While quarter on quarter comparisons are made in the report, definitive
conclusions with regard to trends cannot be drawn from this and year on year
comparisons are used to improve the reliability of the analysis.
• Further explanations and descriptions of data supplied in this report can be found
in the accompanying explanatory memorandum 17/50a.
• Extracts of data used in this report can be downloaded at
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
1. Overall Market Data Data presented in this Quarterly Key Data Report is based on questionnaires completed
by certain authorised operators13 for the period from 1 January to 31 March 2017. The
report is based on submissions from 41 active operators14.
1.1 Overall Electronic Communications Revenues15
Figure 1.1.1 shows the developments in revenues attributable to the provision of fixed
line, mobile and certain TV broadcasting services. Total industry retail revenues
decreased by 3.0% this quarter but increased by 2.2% compared to Q1 2016. The
quarterly decrease in retail revenues was driven by decreases in mobile retail revenues.
Mobile revenues accounted for 49.4% of total industry retail revenues followed by fixed
line (46.3%) and broadcasting (4.3%) revenues. Over the twelve months to March
2017, total retail revenues were over €3.090 billion.
Figure 1.1.1 – Fixed, Mobile & Broadcasting Retail Revenues
According to the CSO, Ireland’s Gross National Product for Q4 201616 was approximately
€54.5 billion. Based on the Q4 2016 retail revenue data reported to ComReg by
operators in the Irish communications sector, these revenues were approximately 1.4%
of GNP in that quarter.
13 Operators who generate in excess of €500,000 in retail and/or wholesale revenues from electronic communications networks and services per annum.
14 See table A2 in the Appendix on page 84 for the list of respondents who submitted data to ComReg.
15 Further detail on terms and definitions - ComReg Doc. 17/50a Explanatory Memorandum.
16 Q4 2016 is the latest period for which GNP data is available. 10 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
This quarter, mobile retail revenues decreased by 6.1% and decreased by 0.8%
compared to Q1 2016. Fixed line retail revenues increased by 0.4% this quarter and
increased by 7.6% compared to Q1 2016. Broadcasting (Cable/IPTV) retail revenues
decreased by 1.8% this quarter and declined by 14.8% compared to Q1 2016. The
broadcasting network retail revenues in this report only capture Cable/IPTV revenues
and thus, exclude Sky Ireland’s satellite TV revenues and all content-related revenues.17
1.2 Overall Call Volumes
Figure 1.2.1 – Fixed and Mobile Voice Call Volumes (Minutes)18
Figure 1.2.1 profiles volumes of originating voice calls by call type on both fixed and
mobile networks on a quarterly basis. There was a decrease in total voice minutes this
quarter. Voice minutes for Q1 2017 totalled 4.05 billion minutes, there were 16.52
billion minutes in the twelve months to the end of March 2017. Total voice minutes
decreased by 2.2% from the previous quarter and decreased by 2.7% since Q1 2016.
It should be noted that managed VoB minutes are included with calls originating from
fixed networks in figure 1.2.1, and are split according to the same call categorisations
(i.e. domestic, international, mobile, other).
17 ComReg captures Cable/IPTV revenues from a number of TV providers for publication in the Quarterly Key Data Report under broadcasting revenues. The collection and publication of licence fee and/or television advertising revenues does not fall within ComReg’s remit and therefore, is not included in the broadcasting revenue figure.
18 Fixed advanced minutes include premium rate services minutes, freephone minutes, payphone minutes, operator services minutes, national and international virtual private network minutes. Mobile advanced minutes include premium rate services minutes and other mobile minutes such as voicemail, DQ, call completion minutes etc. 11 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Mobile originating voice minutes (down 0.003% on Q1 2016) accounted for 76.0% of all
voice minutes in Q1 2017 (compared to 74.0% in Q1 2016) while traffic originating on
fixed line networks (down 10.3% on Q1 2016) accounted for the remaining 24.0% of all
voice minutes (compared to 26.0% in Q1 2016). Figure 1.2.2 shows total voice traffic in
Ireland at the end of Q1 2017.
Figure 1.2.2 – Total Voice Traffic
Q1 2017 Mins Q4’16 – Q1’17
Growth
Q1’16 – Q1’17
Growth
Fixed Voice Minutes 971,194,391 -5.0% -10.3%
Mobile Voice Minutes 3,083,686,074 -1.3% -0.003%
Total Voice Minutes 4,054,880,465 -2.2% -2.7%
1.3 Communications and the Consumer Price Index
Figure 1.3.1 shows the monthly change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the
communications sub-component from March 2015 to March 2017. In January 2015, the
CSO revised its weighting for the communications basket to 3.030% of the total CPI, up
from 2.932% previously.19
Using December 2011 as the base period, communications prices have generally
decreased over the last 12 months with a more stable trend in recent months.
Communication prices have decreased by 1.4 base points while the overall CPI increased
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Figure 1.3.1 – Consumer Price Index and Communications Sub-Component
1.4 Fixed and Mobile Market Retail Voice, Internet and TV Subscriptions
Figure 1.4.1 shows the total number of mobile voice and data subscriptions (also
reported in section 4.1) and the estimated number of fixed subscriptions to voice,
internet and TV services (both single play and bundled subscriptions) in Ireland.
Customers purchasing either a single fixed service or more than one service (as part of
a bundle) are included in the fixed subscriptions category. Total mobile subscriptions
have decreased by 0.3% since Q4 2016 and total fixed subscriptions decreased by 0.6%
over the same period. It should be noted that it is possible that a customer may have
more than one subscription, particularly where a mobile customer has more than one
SIM card or in the case of a business customer with multiple fixed line subscriptions
across several offices.
13 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Figure 1.4.1 – Total Subscriptions (Fixed and Mobile)
14 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
2. Fixed Market Data 2.1 Fixed Line Revenues20
Figure 2.1.1 shows the profile of fixed line retail revenues in Ireland over the last two
years. Total fixed line retail revenues for Q1 2017 were over €353 million. This was an
increase (0.4%) on Q4 2016 revenues and a 7.6% increase on Q1 2016 revenues21.
Retail broadband revenues (+29.0%) as well as retail leased lines, managed and other
data services revenues (+12.4%) have risen since Q1 2016 while retail fixed voice
revenues have fallen (-6.8%).
Comparing Q1 2016 to Q1 2017, the proportion of retail fixed line revenues attributable
to retail leased lines, managed data and other advanced data services increased by 1.1
percentage points to 24.8% while retail broadband revenue’s share increased by 4.3
percentage points to 32.9%. The proportion of retail fixed voice revenues fell by 6.5
percentage points to 42.2% of overall fixed line retail revenues.
Figure 2.1.1 – Profile of Fixed Line Retail Revenues
Fixed line wholesale revenues were over €138 million in Q1 2017, the majority of which
were related to interconnect and wholesale fixed narrowband access revenues, followed
by wholesale leased lines, managed and other data services revenues and wholesale
20 As noted on page 8, additional leased line revenue information is available from three operators since Q3 2015. Hence, revenue and market share information in Figures 2.1.1 and 2.1.1.1 and 2.1.1.2 is not directly comparable to information in previous periods.
21 Fixed line retail revenues were revised for Q4 2016. See note 1 within the corrigendum.
15 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
broadband access revenues. Wholesale revenues decreased by 1.3% compared to Q4
201622 and were down by 6.8% since Q1 2016.
2.1.1 Authorised Operators’ Share of Fixed Line Revenues
Figure 2.1.1.1 below outlines the revenue shares for the fixed retail market (comprising
narrowband, broadband, leased line, managed and other data revenues) held by the
incumbent fixed line operator (Eir), authorised operators having at least a 2% market
share, and all other authorised operators (OAOs) with market share less than 2%.
In Q1 2017, Eir had the highest retail revenue share in the fixed retail market with
42.7% market share. Virgin Media had 14.4%, followed by Vodafone (fixed only) with
14.6%, Sky Ireland (5.2%), BT (5.0%) and Verizon (2.0%). OAOs accounted for the
Figure 2.1.1.2 outlines the revenue shares in the fixed market (comprising fixed line
retail and wholesale revenues). When making comparisons, it is important to note that
the market shares presented below are based on shares across all fixed wholesale and
retail revenue streams and some operators may not offer products and services across
all segments of these markets.
22 Wholesale revenues were revised for Q4 2016. See note 2 in the corrigendum of this report.
23 In Q3 2016 and Q4 2016 Magnet had a market share revenue greater than 2%, therefore it is not included in the OAO category in those periods but returned to it in Q1 2017. In Q3 2016 AT&T had a market share below 2% and since then has been included in the OAO category.
16 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
In Q1 2017, Eir had the highest revenue market share with 47.5%. ComReg estimates
that the next four largest operators (BT, Vodafone (fixed only), Virgin Media and Sky
Ireland) contribute a further 36.4% share of total (retail and wholesale) industry
revenue, while OAOs account for the remaining 16.1%.
Figure 2.1.1.2 – Fixed Revenue Market Shares
2.2 Fixed Line Access Paths24 and Subscriptions
2.2.1 Access Paths and VoB Subscriptions
Figure 2.2.1.1 presents the total number of narrowband copper fixed access paths
(PSTN and ISDN) and Voice over Broadband (VoB) subscriptions. PSTN and ISDN access
paths are usually used for voice services and internet access. There were over 1.44
million direct and indirect PSTN and ISDN access25 paths in the Irish market in Q1 2017.
This represents a decrease of 1.0% on last quarter and a decline of 3.2% since Q1
2016. The number of PSTN access paths has decreased by 1.0% from last quarter and
declined by 2.9% since Q1 2016. The number of ISDN access paths decreased by 1.4%
since Q4 2016 and decreased by 4.5% since Q1 2016. At the same time, the number of
VoB subscriptions increased by 0.9% since Q4 2016 and rose by 2.4% since Q1 2016.
24 Access paths are not synonymous with access lines as for example in the case of ISDN paths, there may be more than one path provided via a single ISDN line.
25 Indirect access paths relate to telephone lines provided to customers by means of Carrier Pre-select (CPS), Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) or Switchless Voice (SV). CPS allows the user to receive all or a portion of calls from one provider and line rental from another provider (usually Eir). SB-WLR (also known as Single Billing-WLR) allows the user to receive every aspect of telephone service, including all calls and line rental from one single supplier. SV also known as White Label Access-Voice Access (WLA-(Voice)) is a switchless voice service which allows an operator to purchase end-to-end call services without the need to have its own interconnection infrastructure.
17 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Figure 2.2.1.1 – Narrowband Fixed Access Paths and VoB Subscriptions
Total ISDN 319,428 -1.4% -4.5% Total PSTN and ISDN 1,444,297 -1.0% -3.2%
VoB Subscriptions 393,585 +0.9% +2.4%
Figure 2.2.1.2 presents the total number of narrowband fixed access paths broken out
by direct and indirect access as well as the number of VoB subscriptions. In Q1 2017,
indirect access accounted for 40.4% of all narrowband access paths in the fixed line
market.
Figure 2.2.1.2 – Direct & Indirect Narrowband Fixed Access Paths and VoB Subscriptions
2.2.2 Indirect Access Paths
Figure 2.2.2 illustrates the overall number of indirect PSTN and ISDN paths provided by
means of either Carrier Pre-Selection (CPS) only, Single Billing Wholesale Line Rental
(SB-WLR) and White Label Voice Access (WLA). In Q1 2017, there were 583,111 indirect
access paths in Ireland. The number of indirect access paths decreased by 0.8% this
quarter and declined by 0.3% in the year to Q1 2017.
18 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
The data indicates that OAOs continue to migrate their customer base to single-bill
services, i.e. SB-WLR or WLA rather than CPS only (i.e. a calls only service, excluding
line rental). SB-WLR used by OAOs now accounts for 60.1% of indirect access paths
compared to 69.8% in Q1 2014. WLA paths account for 37.4% of total indirect access
paths compared to 26.1% in Q1 2015. The share of CPS only indirect access paths has
declined by 1.7 percentage points in the last two years and now accounts for 2.5% of
overall indirect access paths.
Figure 2.2.2 – Narrowband Indirect Access Paths
2.2.3 Fixed Voice Subscriptions
Figure 2.2.3 shows the estimated number of retail customers/subscriptions to fixed
voice services (either standalone or as part of a bundle) and operators’ market shares
based on these subscriptions. At the end of Q1 2017 there were 1,479,132 fixed voice
subscriptions (an increase of 0.3% since Q4 2016 and an increase of 0.2% on Q1 2016).
As of Q1 2017 Eir had 39.3% of all fixed voice subscriptions followed by Virgin Media
(23.9%), Vodafone (15.0%), Sky (11.6%), Pure Telecom (3.3%) and Digiweb (2.4%).
OAOs accounted for the remaining 4.4% of fixed voice subscriptions.
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Figure 2.2.3 – Fixed Voice Subscriptions
2.2.4 Fixed Market Retail Subscriptions by Type
Figure 2.2.4 shows the estimated proportion of retail customers/subscriptions to fixed
line telephony services (mobile is excluded from single play subscriptions, but included
when part of a bundle e.g. double/triple/quad play) broken out by those with a single
service and those taking a bundle of two or more services as of Q1 2017 (subscriptions
mean a customer with at least one contract with an electronic communications service
provider). 26 Single play subscriptions include fixed line services only (including
standalone cable TV and IPTV services) which means that standalone mobile voice,
standalone mobile broadband and standalone satellite TV subscriptions are excluded
from this figure.
It is estimated that there were 1,795,140 fixed market retail subscriptions in Q1 2017
across both business and residential customers (a business customer may have multiple
subscriptions). Q1 2017 saw an increase in triple and quadruple play subscriptions when
compared to Q4 2016. In Q1 2017 36.4% of fixed market retail subscriptions were
single play compared to 38.8% in Q1 2016. Similarly, 37.5% of subscriptions were
double play (a bundle of two services) compared to 35.9% in Q1 2016 and 26.1% were
26 Double play subscriptions can refer to either fixed telephony and internet or television or mobile telephony; television and the internet; mobile telephony and internet or television subscriptions. Triple play subscriptions can refer to fixed telephony and internet and television; fixed telephony and mobile telephony and internet; fixed telephony and mobile telephony and television; or, mobile telephony and internet and television subscriptions. Quadruple play subscriptions refer to fixed telephony, internet, television and mobile subscriptions.
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a combination of triple play (a bundle of three services) and quadruple play (a bundle of
Fixed voice traffic in Q1 2017 was just over 0.97 billion minutes, which was a 5.0%
decrease on Q4 2016 and a fall of 10.3% since Q1 2016.
Managed voice over broadband (VoB) minutes account for approximately 17.8% of total
fixed voice minutes up from 17.5% in Q1 2016.
The numbers quoted in this QKDR report represent managed VoB services only (for
example by Eir, Virgin Media and other providers such as Blueface) and do not include
unmanaged or over-the-top VoB services offered by providers such as Skype.
It should be noted that the split of managed VoB minutes by category (i.e. domestic,
international, mobile, other) is placed into those respective fixed minutes categories in
figures 2.3.1, 2.3.2 and 2.3.3.
27Sky Ireland do not provide information on TV subscriptions. Sky Ireland’s distribution of subscriptions by type (single play, double play or triple play) is estimated using the percentage distribution of Sky Ireland’s subscriptions obtained from the market survey data conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes Ltd. on behalf of ComReg. For more details on the survey method, see the Appendix on page 82.
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Figure 2.3.1 shows the breakdown of fixed voice call volumes by call type. Domestic
fixed to fixed minutes accounted for 46.4% of all fixed voice traffic in Q1 2017.
International outgoing minutes accounted for 22.8% of all fixed voice traffic. The share
of fixed to mobile minutes was 14.5% while other/advanced minutes (which include
premium rate minutes) represented 16.3% of all fixed voice traffic.
Figures 2.3.2 and 2.3.3 show the change in the average monthly fixed voice call minutes
per business and residential subscribers respectively. In Q1 2017 the average business
subscriber made 810.9 minutes of voice calls. The average residential subscriber usage
was 114.5 minutes per month.
28 Domestic Calls include local & national calls. Advanced service and other minutes include minutes to premium rate numbers, freephone numbers, callsave, operator services, VPN minutes, payphones and other services. 22 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
Figure 2.3.2 – Fixed Voice Call Volume per Business Subscriber (Minutes)
42 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
43 The average of prices presented in Figure 2.5.2. Prices include line rental.
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OECD Business Standalone Fixed Voice Service Basket
Figure 2.5.3 compares tariffs advertised by standalone fixed voice service providers44 for
business customers based on a basket of 260 calls (606 minutes)45. Presented prices
exclude VAT charges. Vodafone offers the cheapest tariff for this particular basket at
€37.
Figure 2.5.3 - Business Standalone Fixed Voice Basket (National)
44 In this QKDR only tariffs advertised by Vodafone, Digiweb and Eir were analysed for business customers. This can arise for reasons such as operators not offering fixed voice services to business customers or not advertising prices publicly. ComReg may expand the analysis and include additional operators in the future QKDRs.
45 Basket assumes the usage of 402 fixed to fixed minutes, 116 fixed to mobile minutes and 88 international minutes.
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Figure 2.5.4 shows that Ireland (€57.9446) ranks in fourth place. The average price in
Ireland is 4.2% cheaper than the average price47 for all of the countries included in the
analysis.
Figure 2.5.4 - Business Standalone Fixed Voice Basket (International)
46 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
47 The average of prices presented in Figure 2.5.4.
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3. Broadband Services 3.1 Total Broadband48 Subscriptions and Provision of Broadband Services
Figure 3.1.1 shows the total number of broadband subscriptions49 in Ireland as of Q1
2017. At the end of March 2017, there were 1.72 million active broadband subscriptions
in Ireland. This was an increase of 0.3% on the previous quarter and 1.3% increase
since March 2016.
There was an increase in total fixed line broadband subscriptions this quarter (up by
17,589) but a decrease in mobile broadband subscriptions (down by 7,754
subscriptions). ComReg reports active dedicated mobile broadband subscriptions and
does not include Internet access over mobile handsets within these numbers.
VDSL50 (up by 5.4%), FWA (up by 1.8%), FTTP51 (up by 58.4%) and cable subscriptions
(up by 0.3%) showed positive growth this quarter. DSL52 (down by 4.8%), satellite
(down by 1.4%) and mobile broadband (down by 2.2%) all fell this quarter. It is likely
that some or all of the DSL reductions are accounted for by consumers switching to
VDSL based broadband services.
Figure 3.1.1 – Total Number of Active Broadband Subscriptions
48 ComReg notes that the data provided in this section relates to active subscriptions reported by operators. It takes into account multiple active subscriptions to broadband offerings by individual subscribers. 49 There were also 2,993 narrowband Internet subscriptions in Q1 2017. 50 VDSL refers to very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line. These lines are typically utilised in the provision of next generation broadband services. 51 FTTP (fibre to the premises) refers to a range of fibre access installations such as fibre to the home (FTTH), fibre to the premises (FTTP) and fibre to the curb. 52 DSL refers to a digital subscriber line, the means by which broadband speeds (i.e. in excess of 144k downstream) are delivered over the copper telecoms network.
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Figure 3.1.2 profiles broadband subscriptions in Ireland using the subscription type
classifications of outlined in Figure 3.1.1.
Figure 3.1.2 – Total Broadband Subscriptions
Figure 3.1.3 shows the quarterly growth in fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions
since Q1 2015. In general, there has been a steady growth of fixed broadband
subscriptions and a decline of mobile broadband subscriptions. It should be noted that
ComReg reports on active broadband subscriptions and the mobile broadband
subscription numbers reported by ComReg do not include internet access over mobile
handsets (such as smartphones).
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Figure 3.1.3 – Quarterly Growth in Broadband Subscriptions
Since Q3 2016, VDSL subscriptions have accounted for the largest share of broadband
subscriptions, (27.1%) with this increasing to 30.6% in Q1 2017. The continuous
increase in VDSL subscriptions is likely to be largely accounted for by consumers
switching from DSL based broadband services. DSL accounted for 24.1% of all
broadband subscriptions in Q1 2017 down from 29.8% in Q1 2016. The share of mobile
broadband subscriptions has declined to 20.3% of all broadband subscriptions, down
from 22.3% in Q1 2016. Cable has a 21.4% share of all broadband subscriptions down
from 21.8% in Q1 2016. FWA has a 2.8% share of broadband subscriptions up slightly
from 2.5% in Q1 2016. The remainder consists of satellite with a 0.30% share of
broadband subscriptions, slightly down from 0.32% in Q1 2016, while FTTP has a 0.70%
share of broadband subscriptions in Q1 2017, up from 0.27% in Q1 201653.
Figure 3.1.4 illustrates the split by type of broadband subscriptions in the Irish market
since Q1 2016, while Figure 3.1.5 shows the net additions to broadband subscriptions by
each platform. The net total number of broadband subscriptions has increased this
quarter, driven mainly by increases in VDSL subscriptions.
53 Additional FTTP subscriptions were included from Q3 2016. Figures presented should not therefore be interpreted as demonstrating year-on-year growth.
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Figure 3.1.4 – Broadband Subscriptions by Platform
Figure 3.1.5 – Broadband Subscriptions - Net additions
Figure 3.1.6 provides an estimate of the proportion of business and residential
subscriptions to DSL, VDSL, cable, FWA, mobile broadband, fibre and satellite
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broadband services54. In Q1 2017, 82.3% of broadband subscriptions on all platforms
were classed as residential broadband subscriptions. The platform with the highest
percentage of residential vis-à-vis business subscriptions is cable broadband, while the
mobile broadband category has the highest percentage of business customers.
Figure 3.1.6 – Broadband Subscriptions by Subscription Type
Figure 3.1.7 illustrates the breakdown of broadband subscriptions by advertised
(headline) speed across all fixed broadband platforms (mobile broadband is excluded).
In total, approximately 67.0% of broadband subscriptions were >=30Mbps (with 22.4%
>=100Mbps). This equates to approximately 69.8% (with 24.9% >=100Mbps) of
residential subscriptions and 46.3% (with 3.4 % >=100Mbps) of business subscriptions.
The data suggests that most business and residential users subscribe to broadband
services with advertised download speeds of between 30Mbps - 100Mbps. This may be
due in part to Virgin Media primarily serving the residential market rather than business
market as evidenced in Figure 3.1.6 above. Many larger business users access their
broadband services over dedicated leased lines. Leased lines are not included in these
charts. Leased line speeds can range up to speeds in excess of 1 gigabyte per second.
54 ComReg revised the methodology employed to calculate DSL and VDSL (residential and business) subscriptions in Q2 2016. Revisions to historical data have been made.
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Figure 3.1.7 – Fixed Broadband Download Speeds and Subscription Type
Figure 3.1.8 shows broadband subscriptions by advertised (headline) speed and the
type of broadband platform subscribed to.
Figure 3.1.8 – Fixed Broadband Download Speeds and Platform55
Figure 3.1.9 shows the change in fixed broadband subscriptions by advertised (headline)
download speeds between Q1 2015 and Q1 201756. Over the entire period, growth in
55 *Estimated percentage split.
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broadband speeds has been mainly in subscriptions with speeds above 30Mbps. The
share of these subscriptions has increased from 58.1% in Q1 2016 to 67.0% in Q1
Figure 3.1.10 provides the market shares of fixed broadband operators by number of
subscriptions. DSL, VDSL cable modem, FWA, satellite and fibre subscriptions are used
to calculate fixed broadband market shares.
Operators with a market share of 2% or more are shown in the chart below. All those
operators with less than 2% of total fixed broadband subscriptions are grouped together
under the heading ‘OAOs’.
According to the data received from operators for Q1 2017, Eir had 32.3% of total fixed
broadband subscriptions, followed by Virgin Media who had 26.6% of subscriptions.
Vodafone had 19.3% (excluding mobile broadband subscriptions) and Sky Ireland had
an 12.2% market share. All other OAOs combined accounted for the remaining 9.6%
share of fixed broadband subscriptions.
56 ComReg revised the methodology employed to calculate DSL and VDSL (residential and business) subscriptions in Q2 2016. This also applies to broadband speeds. Revisions to historical data have accordingly been made.
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Figure 3.1.10 – Subscription Market Share of Fixed Broadband Market
Figure 3.1.11 shows the market share of mobile broadband operators by subscriptions.
As of Q1 2017, Vodafone had the largest share with 44.8%. Three Group’s market share
was 40.8%, down from 47.9% in Q1 2016. Eir Group Mobile had a market share of
12.8% up from 11.6% in Q1 2016 while OAOs accounted for the remaining 1.6%.
Figure 3.1.11 – Subscription Market Share of Mobile Broadband Market
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3.2 Provision of DSL Access
Figure 3.2.1 examines the provision of DSL access. DSL broadband services are
provided to consumers by operators using three alternative methods of access. DSL may
be provided directly to the consumer by Eir using direct access to its network; this
accounted for 44.1% of all DSL subscriptions in Q1 2017. Eir’s market share of retail
DSL lines has declined by 1.8 percentage points over the last year. Retail DSL may also
be provided by OAOs who use either Eir’s wholesale bitstream source, which enables
OAOs to resell another operator’s DSL service, or by offering DSL-based broadband
using local-loop unbundling (LLU).
In Q1 2017, 42.8% of all DSL lines were provided by OAOs using wholesale bitstream.
In absolute terms there were 177,391 wholesale bitstream lines, a decrease of 15.9%
since Q1 2016. The remaining 13.1% of DSL lines were provided to subscribers by OAOs
using local-loop unbundling. In Q1 2016 there were 54,373 unbundled local loops, down
from 62,523 in Q1 2016 (-13.0%) and down from 55,938 in Q4 2016 (-2.8%).
Figure 3.2.1 - Provision of DSL Access
Figure 3.2.2 shows the number of unbundled lines according to their shared and full57
unbundling status. Between Q1 2016 and Q1 2017 the total number of LLU lines
57 Full LLU and shared LLU are two ways a copper loop may be unbundled. While full LLU assigns the entire copper loop to the leasing operator, shared LLU enables other operators and the incumbent to share the same line. With shared access consumers can acquire voice and data services from an operator or alternatively data services alone while retaining the voice services of the incumbent. 38 ComReg 17/50
Irish Communications Market: Key Data Report – Q1 2017
decreased by 13.0% and declined by 2.8% since Q4 2016. Full LLU lines decreased by
13.7% since Q1 2016 and declined by 1.8% since Q4 2016. Similarly shared LLU lines
decreased by 12.9% since Q1 2016 and declined by 3.0% since Q4 2016.
Figure 3.2.2 – Number of Unbundled Local Loops
3.3 Provision of VDSL Access
VDSL broadband services are provided to consumers by operators using three
alternative methods of access. VDSL may be provided directly to the consumer by Eir
using direct access to its network; this accounted for 48.9% of all VDSL subscriptions in
Q1 2017. Eir’s market share of retail VDSL lines has declined by 5.8 percentage points
over the last year. Retail VDSL may also be provided by OAOs who use either wholesale
bitstream, which enables OAOs to resell another operator’s VDSL service, or by offering
VDSL-based broadband using virtual unbundled local access (VULA).
In Q1 2017, 17.9% of all VDSL lines were provided by OAOs using wholesale bitstream.
In absolute terms there were 94,009 wholesale VDSL bitstream lines in Q1 2017, a
decrease of 35.5% since Q1 2016. The remaining 33.2% of VDSL lines were provided to
subscribers by OAOs using VULA. In Q1 2017 there were 174,569 VULA lines, up from
31,874 in Q1 2016 (+448%) and up from 162,194 in Q3 2016 (+7.6%).
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Figure 3.3.1 – Provision of VDSL Access
3.4 Usage of Broadband Services
Figure 3.4.1 shows data volumes generated by fixed and mobile broadband subscribers
as well as subscribers to mobile voice and data services. Fixed broadband volumes alone
reached 495,715 terabytes while mobile data volumes were over 57,723 terabytes58.
Figure 3.4.1 – Fixed Broadband and Mobile Data Volumes
Q1 2017
(TBs)
Q4’16 – Q1’17
Growth
Q1’15 – Q1’17
Growth
Fixed broadband data volumes59 495,715 +3.8% +23.6% Mobile data volumes60 57,723 +6.5% +62.5%
Total data volumes 553,238 +4.1% +26.8%
Figure 3.4.2 illustrates average monthly data usage volumes by subscription type. In Q1
2017 an average fixed broadband subscriber used 120.4 GB of data per month. The
majority of traffic is generated by residential subscribers with an average monthly data
usage per residential subscriber reaching 129.0 GB in Q1 2017. An average business
fixed broadband subscriber used 56.0 GB of data per month in Q1 2017. In comparison,
average traffic per smartphone reached 3.7GB of data while the average traffic per
dedicated mobile broadband subscriber was 8.7 GB of data.
58 Mobile data volumes refer to traffic generated from mobile broadband plus mobile voice and data services.
59 This figure consists of aggregated data volumes from various subscription types. For Q3 2015 to Q1 2017 data generated via cable broadband is based on estimates.
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Figure 3.4.2 – Monthly Traffic per Fixed Broadband Subscription by Type
Figure 3.4.3 provides a breakdown of average monthly data usage volumes by
broadband platform. In Q1 2017 the average cable broadband subscriber used 179.6 GB
of data per month followed by a VDSL subscriber (126.8 GB), followed by a FTTP
subscriber (108.9 GB) and a DSL subscriber (68.5 GB). It can be observed from Figure
3.4.3 that the average volume of data used increases with download speed as cable,
VDSL and FTTP broadband platforms have the highest proportion of high speed
broadband subscriptions as noted in Figure 3.1.8.
Figure 3.4.3 – Monthly Traffic per Broadband Subscription by Platform
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3.5 Broadband Penetration
The total number of broadband subscriptions in Ireland for Q4 2016 was 1,721,718.
Using fixed residential broadband subscriptions only, 1,210,933 (i.e. excluding business
subscriptions and mobile broadband subscriptions), the estimated fixed broadband
household penetration rate (there were 1,720,500 households in Ireland using the
Central Statistics Office (CSO) Q1 2017 estimate) as of Q1 2017 was 70.4%.
Based on the total number of broadband subscriptions in Ireland for Q1 2017, the
broadband per capita penetration rate (including mobile broadband) was 36.5%. When
mobile broadband is excluded, the penetration rate was 29.1%. 61 These figures are
based on a population of 4,712,200 from the CSO Q1 2017 estimate62.
Figure 3.5.1 shows fixed broadband subscriptions per capita among 25 EU countries in
Q4 2014 and Q4 2016 63. Based on this data, Ireland’s fixed broadband per capita
penetration rate (28.6%) is less than the benchmarked EU average of 31.0%.
Figure 3.5.1 – Fixed Broadband Subscriptions per Capita
61 It should be noted that ComReg reports dedicated mobile broadband subscriptions (i.e. on the basis of mobile dongles/datacards) only. Subscriptions with Internet access over a handset are not included. Therefore, the total number of mobile broadband users (i.e. dedicated mobile broadband and handset subscriptions with internet access) will be higher than stated in this report. On the other hand, a broadband subscriber may have both a fixed and mobile broadband subscription and therefore, a broadband penetration rate based on both mobile and fixed subscriptions may overestimate the penetration rate. 62 Estimates based on Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS).
63 Q4 2016 is the latest quarter for which this information is available.
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Figure 3.5.2 shows the proportion of households with broadband connections from 2012
to 2016. 64 Both fixed and mobile broadband 65 are included. Ireland’s household
broadband penetration rate, at 86%, is higher than the EU28 average of 83%.
Penetration has increased by 23 percentage points since 2012 while the EU28
penetration has increased by 11 percentage points. Figure 3.5.3 overleaf presents
broadband penetration rates in Ireland and EU since 2007.
65 Households with at least one member aged 16–74. Broadband connection includes: DSL, VDSL, wired fixed (cable, fibre, Ethernet, PLC), fixed wireless (satellite, Wi-Fi, WiMax) and mobile wireless (3G/4G).
While Wi-Fi originally emerged as an alternative to share broadband connectivity in the
home and to provide access to nomadic laptop users in airports and other public places,
it is now being used by a broader range of service providers with different business
models and services which include in home connectivity, outdoor access for nomadic
users, and off-loading and coverage alternatives for mobile operators.
ComReg presents data on the Wi-Fi market based on the number of public Wi-Fi
hotspots and access points located nationally. Internet hotspots are typically public
wireless access points where a computer, usually a laptop, or other portable device such
as an iPhone or tablet can connect to the internet. A Wi-Fi hotspot can be made up of
one or more Wi-Fi access points68. Wi-Fi hotspots tend to be found in airports, hotel
lobbies and cafés and restaurants. In most cases, the user pays for high-speed internet
access at an access point, based either on a vouchered payment for a specific amount of
time online or a recurring monthly subscription. There are a number of providers of
these services in Ireland including Sky Ireland, BT Ireland and Bitbuzz69.
67 Additional Wi-Fi services information is available from one operator since Q3 2015. Hence, information in Figure 3.6.1 is not directly comparable to information in previous periods.
68 Hotspots are typically public locations at which broadband internet access can be obtained. At these hotspots, users with a computer (usually a laptop) can wirelessly connect to the internet either for free or on payment of a fee. Typical locations for such hotspots include cafes and restaurants, hotels and airports. In general terms, more than one access point can be found at a hotspot. 69 Bitbuzz was acquired by Virgin Media.
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Comparing Q1 2016 to Q1 2017, the number of Wi-Fi hotspots decreased by 65% and
the number of access points decreased by approximately 35.3% 70 . Wi-Fi minutes
decreased by 42.1% over this period.
A breakout of the data by operators’ percentage shares in Q1 2017 is also provided
below.
Figure 3.6.1 – Wi-Fi Hotspots, Access Points and Minutes of Use
Q1 2017 Q4’16-Q1’17 Growth
Q1’16-Q1’17 Growth
Wi-Fi Hotspots 1,128 5.9% -65.0%
Wi-Fi Access Points
3,573 10.1% -35.3%
Wi-Fi Minutes of Use
548,632,430 -2.5% -42.1%
Bitbuzz BT OAOs
Wi-Fi Hotspots 59.6% 11.6% 28.8%
Wi-Fi Access Points 84.1% 4.6% 11.3%
Wi-Fi Minutes of Use 76.2% 21.9% 1.9%
3.7 Fixed and Mobile Broadband Pricing Data
ComReg uses independently collated Strategy Analytics (Teligen) pricing data using
OECD-approved methodologies to examine the relative prices of a number of specific
fixed broadband and mobile broadband usage baskets of national broadband services
and broadband services in other selected countries for both residential and business
users. The pricing data used for international comparisons includes pricing information
for selected countries, namely Germany, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands and the United
Kingdom71.
70 As of Q3 2016 Eir does not provide this service.
71 In future QKDRs ComReg may expand the analysis and include more countries for international price comparisons.
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For national comparisons, the prices advertised72 by the largest operators (in terms of
number of subscribers to fixed broadband services and separately number of subscribers
to mobile broadband services) during Q1 2017 were analysed73 for selected OECD usage
baskets. In this QKDR, standalone and bundled fixed broadband service prices
advertised by Eir, Virgin Media, Vodafone, Sky, Digiweb and Imagine were analysed. For
mobile broadband services, prices advertised by the Three Group, Vodafone, Meteor, Eir
Mobile, Tesco and iD were analysed. Thus, the broadband pricing analysis does not
necessarily present the lowest prices available in the entire market, but rather the
lowest prices offered by the operators having the largest number of subscribers. It
should also be noted that some of the operators included in the analysis do not offer
their services nationally74. In addition, some operators only offer broadband services
bundled with another service (e.g. fixed voice services which can include line rental,
sometimes also with an inclusive amount of call minutes). In these instances, the
analysis is based on the cost of the bundle excluding any voice related usage patterns.
i.e., only broadband usage related factors are taken into account75 in the analysis.
For international comparisons, prices advertised76 by the largest operators (in terms of
the number of subscribers to fixed broadband services and separately number of
subscribers to mobile broadband services) operators in each of the respective countries
during Q1 2017 were analysed 77 for selected usage baskets 78 (with an average per
country price presented based on the average of lowest price tariffs advertised by three
highest ranking operators in national pricing comparisons). In order to enable
international comparisons, prices are presented in Euro Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs)
and exclude VAT charges. PPPs provide an indication of the cost of telecoms services in
countries analysed in relation to the cost of all other products and services.
The presented analysis accounts for the fact that broadband services differ in terms of
advertised download/upload speeds to ensure that a meaningful comparison can be
72 The pricing analysis is based on a review of operators’ advertised prices in the period Q1 2017.
73 The subscribers of these operators jointly account for over 94% of all fixed broadband subscribers and 100% of all mobile broadband subscribers. For fixed broadband, tariffs based on broadband services provided over DSL, Fibre (incl. VDSL), Cable and FWA were analysed. For mobile broadband, tariffs on broadband services provided over 3G and 4G networks were analysed.
74 For example, Virgin Media offers fixed broadband services only in the areas where its cable network has been rolled out.
75 In other words, the broadband pricing analysis does not take account of fixed voice call usage.
76 The pricing analysis is based on a review of operators’ advertised prices in the period Q1 2017.
77 The subscribers of these operators jointly account for over 80% of all fixed broadband subscribers and 80% of all mobile broadband subscribers in each of the respective countries.
78 The same basket was applied to each respective country in order to make the international comparison.
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made between packages in terms of contracted download speeds offered. Packages
which limit usage through speed restrictions when usage exceeds inclusive allowances
are excluded. The presented analysis also incorporates discounts offered by operators.
Nonrecurring charges (e.g. charges for the installation of a service) are
discounted/amortised over three years and other recurring fixed costs such as line
rental (in case of fixed broadband) are included and any other additional broadband
related charges are included in the baskets.
The OECD basket methodologies are reviewed and revised periodically, with the latest
revision made in early 2010 79 for fixed broadband baskets and 2012 80 for mobile
broadband baskets. Further information on the composition of the broadband basket can
be found in the Explanatory Memorandum which accompanies this report.
The following baskets are presented in this report81:
OECD Residential and business fixed and mobile broadband baskets Type of basket Basket
Fixed Broadband Residential
18GB basket (broadband speeds <=30 Mbps)
Fixed Broadband Residential
54GB basket (broadband speeds >30 Mbps)
Fixed Broadband Business
33GB basket
Mobile Broadband Residential
5GB basket
Mobile Broadband Business
10GB basket
These baskets were selected given their closeness to the national broadband usage
patterns observed having regard to the data provided by fixed and mobile broadband
operators to ComReg for the purpose of the Quarterly Key Data Report (see Figures
3.4.2 and 3.4.3 above for fixed and mobile broadband data usage patterns). ComReg
notes that these baskets reflect usage patterns of an average user and do not
necessarily reflect prices of tariffs that are geared towards customers having different
usage profiles.
79 See http://www.oecd.org/sti/broadband/48242089.pdf.
80See http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k92wd5kw0nw-en.
81 In future QKDRs ComReg may expand the analysis and present price comparisons based on additional and/or different usage baskets.
Figure 3.7.3 compares business tariffs advertised by fixed broadband service providers
(whether standalone broadband or broadband sold as part of a bundle) for business
customers based on a 33GB monthly data usage basket. Presented prices exclude VAT
charges. Digiweb offers the cheapest tariff (€30.36) followed by Eir (€35.48) and
Vodafone (€40.00).
84 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
85 The average of prices presented in Figure 3.7.2.
86 From Q1 2017 figure 3.7.2 has been replaced from the previous criteria of 18GB (>30Mbps) with that of 54GB (>30Mbps). This is to reflect the market offering greater data allowance for fixed broadband.
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Figure 3.7.3 - Business Fixed Broadband Basket (National)
Figure 3.7.4 shows that in an international comparison context Ireland (€35.2887) ranks
in fourth place. The average price in Ireland is 0.2% cheaper than the average price88
for all of the countries included in the analysis.
Figure 3.7.4 - Business Fixed Broadband Basket (International)
87 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
88 The average of prices presented in Figure 3.7.4.
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OECD Residential Mobile Broadband Service Basket
Figure 3.7.5 compares pre-paid and post-paid tariffs advertised by mobile broadband
service providers for residential customers based on an OECD 5GB monthly mobile data
usage basket. Meteor offers the cheapest tariff (€14.99) followed by Eir Mobile (€15.00),
iD (€16.92) and Vodafone (€21.11).
Figure 3.7.5 - Residential Mobile Broadband Basket (National)
Figure 3.7.6 below illustrates Ireland’s ranking alongside five other Western European
countries. Ireland ranks in second place with an average price of €12.71 89 for this
particular basket. The average price in Ireland is 35.2% cheaper than the average
price90 for all of the countries included in the analysis.
89 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
90 The average of prices presented in Figure 3.7.6.
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Figure 3.7.6 - Residential Mobile Broadband Basket (International)
OECD Business Mobile Broadband Service Basket
Figure 3.7.7 compares post-paid tariffs advertised by mobile broadband service
providers91 for business customers based on an OECD 10GB monthly data usage basket.
Presented prices exclude VAT charges. Eir Mobile (€16.52) offers the cheapest tariff
followed by Vodafone (€18.00) and Three (€21.99).
Figure 3.7.7 - Business Mobile Broadband Basket (National)
91 Only tariffs advertised by Vodafone, Three and Eir Mobile were analysed for business customers. Some operators do not offer mobile broadband service to business customers.
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Figure 3.7.8 shows that, from an international comparison perspective, Ireland
(€18.8492) ranks in first place. The average price in Ireland is 37.1% cheaper than the
average price93 for all of the countries included in the analysis.
Figure 3.7.8 - Business Mobile Broadband Basket (International)
92 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
93 The average of prices presented in Figure 3.7.8.
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4. Mobile Market Data 4.1 Number of Subscriptions and Penetration Rate
At the end of March 2017 there were 5,953,122 mobile subscriptions in Ireland,
including mobile broadband and Machine to Machine (‘M2M’) subscriptions. If mobile
broadband subscriptions (348,820) and M2M subscriptions (707,598) are excluded, the
total number of mobile subscriptions in Ireland was 4,896,70494.
Figure 4.1.1 – Mobile Subscriptions
In Q1 2017 there were 4,278,646 mobile voice and data subscribers using 3G/4G
networks in Ireland. This figure can be taken as an indication of the number of
smartphone users accessing advanced data services such as web/internet content,
online multiplayer gaming content, Video on Demand (VoD) or other equivalent
advanced data services (excluding SMS and MMS). This represents approximately
87.4% of all mobile subscriptions (excluding dedicated mobile broadband and M2M) in
Q1 2017.
Figure 4.1.2 below shows the breakdown of total active subscribers, total standard
mobile voice and data subscribers using 3G/4G networks and dedicated mobile
broadband subscribers from Q1 2016 to Q1 2017.
94 Mobile broadband subscriptions and mobile subscriptions (exc. Mobile broadband and M2M) were revised for Q3 2016 and Q4 2016. See note 6 within the corrigendum.
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Figure 4.1.2 – Mobile Subscribers using Data Services over 3G/4G Networks
Q1 2017 Q1 2016 Quarterly Change
Q4’16 – Q1’17
Annual Change
Q1’16 – Q1’17
Total active
subscriptions 5,953,122 5,814,377 -0.3% +2.4%
Mobile voice and data subscribers using 3G and 4G
networks
4,278,646 4,047,229 -1.4% +5.7%
Dedicated mobile broadband subscribers
348,820 378,238 -2.2% -7.8%
Figure 4.1.3 charts mobile penetration since Q1 2016 and shows that at the end of
March 2017, mobile penetration, based on a population of 4,712,200 (using the CSO Q1
2017 estimate), was 126.3% including mobile broadband and M2M and 103.9%
excluding mobile broadband and M2M. Mobile penetration is recognised as the standard
metric internationally to measure the adoption of mobile services, and is calculated
based on the number of active SIM cards per 100 of the population.
Given that some mobile users may have used more than one active SIM card during the
period, there is likely to be some over-estimation of actual individual mobile penetration
using this metric. ComReg’s calculation of mobile subscriptions includes active SIMs
bundled with mobile broadband data cards and USB modems for internet access via
laptops/PCs, SIMs that enable the flow of data between Machines as well as SIM cards
used in mobile phones for voice and data services.
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Figure 4.1.3 – Irish Mobile Penetration Rate
4.2 The Profile of Mobile Subscriptions in Ireland
Mobile users pay for their mobile service by either purchasing pre-paid credit, or by
receiving a monthly bill from their mobile operator, described in this report as a post-
paid payment option.
Figures 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 illustrate the mobile subscription base (including and excluding
mobile broadband and M2M subscriptions) in Ireland classified by the proportion of pre-
paid and post-paid subscriptions on 2G, 3G and 4G networks at the end of Q1 2017.
Post-paid subscriptions are increasing, accounting for 53.8% of subscriptions in Q1
2017, up from 50.9% one year previously at the expense of a decline in pre-paid
subscriptions. If mobile broadband and M2M subscriptions are excluded, post-paid
subscriptions account for 45.0% of subscriptions, up from 42.8% in Q1 2016.
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Figure 4.2.1 – Profile of Pre-Paid and Post-Paid Subscriptions
Figure 4.2.2 – Mobile Subscriptions by Pre-pay/Post-pay
Figure 4.2.3 shows the pre-paid and post-paid subscription profile for each of the mobile
operators in the Irish market. Mobile broadband and M2M subscriptions are included. As
of Q1 2017, the mobile operator with the highest proportion of post-paid subscriptions
was Vodafone (60.2%), followed by Three Group (58.1%), Eir Group Mobile (48.3%)
and Tesco Mobile (15.3%). Post-paid subscriptions for OAOs was 30.3%. 57 ComReg 17/50
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Figure 4.2.3 – Profile of Pre-Paid and Post-Paid Subscriptions by Operator
Figure 4.2.4 shows the split between pre-paid and post-paid mobile broadband
subscriptions between Q1 2016 and Q1 2017. 84.9% of all mobile broadband
subscriptions were post-paid at the end of March 2017, up from 80.4% one year
previously.
Figure 4.2.4 – Profile of Pre and Post Paid Mobile Broadband Subscriptions
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Figure 4.2.5 shows the split of post-paid business and non-business mobile subscriptions
including and excluding mobile broadband (MBB) and M2M between Q1 2016 to Q1
2017. Approximately 49.4% of post-paid mobile subscriptions (including mobile
broadband and M2M) and 33.3% of post-paid mobile subscriptions (excluding mobile
broadband and M2M) were classed as business subscriptions in Q1 2017.
Figure 4.2.5 – Post-Paid Business and Residential Mobile Subscriptions95
Q1 2016 Q2 2016 Q3 2016 Q4 2016 Q1 2017
Residential subs inc. MBB & M2M96
1,548,791 1,584,396 1,592,531 1,609,805 1,621,154
Residential subs ex. MBB & M2M
1,366,554 1,409,001 1,419,442 1,446,762 1,467,606
Business subs inc. MBB & M2M
1,412,511 1,439,130 1,497,117 1,534,727 1,583,978
Business subs ex. MBB & M2M
715,358 714,468 718,101 729,854 733,616
Figure 4.2.6 shows the split of mobile subscribers (including mobile broadband and M2M
subscribers) broken down by mobile network technology used by these subscribers. For
example, subscribers who purchase 4G plans and have generated traffic on a 4G
network are categorised as 4G subscribers. Categories are mutually exclusive in that
subscribers who have generated traffic on multiple networks (e.g. 2G and 3G) are
categorised as users of the higher quality network (3G in this example). By the end of
March 2017, 42.9% of mobile subscribers were categorised as 4G network users, 42.8%
were using 3G networks with the remaining 14.3% of subscribers using 2G networks
only.
95 Figure 4.2.5 has been altered in Q1 2017 with the earliest data starting from the left rather than right.
96 All M2M subscriptions are assumed to be business subscriptions.
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Figure 4.2.6 – Mobile Subscriptions by Network Used
4.3 Mobile Volumes
Figure 4.3.1 illustrates the change in voice minutes, SMS, and MMS (Multimedia
Messaging Service) messages and ‘other data’ 97 volumes (internet uploads and
downloads) sent between Q1 2014 and Q1 2017. Total retail mobile voice traffic was
3.084 billion minutes in Q1 2017, the same as Q1 2016.
The total number of SMS messages sent by mobile users in Ireland was over 1.26 billion
in Q1 2017, down 15.5% on Q1 2016 and down by 6.7% since Q4 2016. The number of
multimedia messages (MMS) sent was down by 7.5% in the year to Q1 2017. Data
usage volumes continue to rise, increasing by 62.5% in the year to Q1 2017 to reach
57,523 terabytes.
97 Other data volumes means mobile traffic for which customers do and do not have to pay per MB charges and refers to both uploads and downloads. Retail international roaming data downloaded from network subscribers roaming on foreign networks (including EU-28) is also included.
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Figure 4.3.1 – SMS, MMS, Other Data and Call Minute Volumes
Figure 4.3.2 illustrates the share of types of mobile voice call minutes. As of Q1 2017,
77.5% of all mobile voice minutes were classified as mobile-to-mobile (on-net and off-
net), 11.7% of mobile voice minutes were to fixed line phones, 8.1% were classified as
international and roaming minutes and the remaining 2.8% were advanced voice
minutes which include calls to premium rate services.
Figure 4.3.2 – Voice Call Minute Volumes by Type
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Figure 4.3.3 shows the change in the on-net and off-net mobile to mobile voice call
minutes since Q1 2016. During Q1 2017, 56.4% of all mobile to mobile voice minutes
were classified as on-net, down from 58.3% in Q1 2016.
Figure 4.3.3 – Mobile to Mobile Voice Call Minute Volumes by Type
Figure 4.3.4 shows the change in the monthly mobile voice call minutes per
subscription. In Q1 2017 the average usage was 209.9 minutes (down by 0.7% since Q1
2016).
Figure 4.3.4 – Monthly Mobile Voice Call Minutes per Subscription by Type
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Figure 4.3.5 shows the change in the monthly mobile data volumes per subscription. In
Q1 2017 the average monthly number of SMS/MMS sent was 87 and the average traffic
per smartphone98 reached 3.7 GB of data, while the average traffic per dedicated mobile
broadband subscriber was 8.7 GB of data99.
Figure 4.3.5 – Monthly Mobile Messaging and Data Volumes per Subscription
Figure 4.3.6 provides the breakdown of mobile data volumes by mobile network
technology. Of all mobile data from Q1 2017 44,897 terabytes or 78.1% was generated
on 4G networks, up from 57.7% in Q1 2016.
98 Based on the number of standard mobile voice and data subscribers using 3G and 4G networks.
99 Data traffic refers to both uploads and downloads.
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Figure 4.3.6 – Mobile Data Volumes by Technology
4.4 Mobile Revenues
Figure 4.4.1 shows that mobile retail revenues for Q1 2017 were over €377 million.
Messaging revenues decreased by 10.6% this quarter, data revenues decreased by
3.2% while voice and other revenues decreased by 6.8% since Q4 2016.
Figure 4.4.1 – Total Mobile Retail Revenues
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Wholesale mobile revenues were over €46 million in Q1 2017 (a decrease of 5.6% since
Q4 2016), the vast majority accounted for by terminating traffic, followed by roaming100
and access101 revenues.
4.5 Average Monthly Revenue per User
Mobile ARPU is a function of both the price of mobile services and the level of usage of
mobile services. In Q1 2017 mobile APRU (blended) was €22.11 per month, down from
€23.01 per month in the previous quarter and down from €24.12 per month in the
period Q1 2016.
This overall decline over this period is in line with a general downward trend in ARPU
across Western European countries. Based on data from Analysys Mason’s Telecom
Matrix monthly mobile ARPU across the average of 14 Western European countries fell
by 3.9% in Q4 2016102 compared to Q4 2015.
Figure 4.5.1 illustrates the change in ARPU for prepaid and post-paid subscribers. In Q1
2017 mobile ARPU for prepaid subscribers was €13.46 per month while mobile ARPU for
post paid subscribers was €29.72 per month.
The general decline in ARPU is likely to be a reflection of a number of factors such as
those attributable to increased sales of bundled products (combining mobile with fixed
calls and sometimes broadband and/or TV) and, more recently, reductions in roaming
and mobile termination rates, among others.
100 Revenues from the provision of wholesale roaming (inbound) services (voice/text/data services). Excludes revenues from the provision of wholesale roaming (outbound) services to hosted MVNOs.
101 Includes revenues from the wholesale provision of voice, messaging and data services to MVNOs and access revenues not related to traffic. Includes revenues from the provision of wholesale roaming (outbound) services (voice/text/data services) to hosted MVNOs. Includes revenues from wholesale provision of voice, messaging and data services based on national roaming agreements.
102 Q4 2016 is the latest quarter for which this information is available.
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Figure 4.5.1 – Monthly Average Revenue per User by Type
4.6 Machine to Machine Subscriptions
Machine to Machine (M2M) refers to technologies that involve data communication
between devices or systems in which, at least in principle, human intervention does not
occur. These technologies may encompass either wireless or wired communications, or
both. M2M communication is already widely deployed in Ireland and its usage is set to
grow rapidly, driven in no small part by the expansion of next generation
telecommunications technology and a decline in the cost of the embedded wireless
modules and sensors that enable M2M services. This continued improvement in the
infrastructural environment around M2M has led to a rapid growth of applications and
services that meet users’ business and lifestyle needs. M2M technologies transfer data
on the condition of physical assets and devices to a central location (which is distantly
located the devices) for effective monitoring and control. M2M has a multitude of uses,
with current deployments in the healthcare, energy, home automation and
transportation sectors. Specific examples of M2M applications include smart metering,
vehicle and consignment tracking and alarm monitoring systems of various kinds, ATM
machines signalling the need for cash replacement, smart grid monitoring of real time
electricity demand, smart home applications such as switching on and off lights, heating
and other appliances.
Different networking technologies can be used to connect M2M devices, depending on
the amount of mobility needed, quality required, data rate, the degree of dispersion of
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devices over an area, and so on. Gathering data on dedicated M2M mobile connections
assists ComReg in assessing future regulatory needs for M2M, e.g. for numbering
resources. The additional data also allows for more accurate assessment of mobile
telephony and broadband connections.
There were 707,598 M2M subscriptions at the end of March 2017. This is an increase
of 23.0% since Q1 2016. Figure 4.6.1 outlines market shares based on active M2M
subscriptions as well as market shares in terms of business subscribers (including
mobile broadband and M2M subscriptions).
In Q1 2017 Three Group had the largest market share of M2M subscriptions at 48.4%
followed by Vodafone with 47.6% of market share. Eir Group Mobile had the remaining
4.0% of M2M subscriptions.
Vodafone had the largest market share in terms of business subscriptions103 (52.2%)
followed by Three Group (38.2%) and Eir Group Mobile (9.4%). OAOs accounted for the
remaining 0.2%.
Figure 4.6.1 – Market Share – Business and M2M Subscriptions
103 Business subscriptions excluding M2M and business mobile broadband subscriptions.
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4.7 Competition in the Mobile Market
Figures 4.7.1 and 4.7.2 outline mobile market shares based on the number of active
subscriptions reported by each operator.
Figure 4.7.1 includes mobile broadband and M2M while figure 4.7.2 excludes mobile
broadband and M2M. Vodafone has the highest market share including and excluding
mobile broadband and M2M (38.6% and 36.8%), followed by Three Group (34.9% and
32.5%), Eir Group Mobile (17.9% and 20.3%) and Tesco Mobile (6.1% and 7.3%).
OAOs have market shares of 2.6% and 3.1% respectively.
Figure 4.7.1 – Market Share – Number of Subscriptions (inc. mobile broadband and M2M)104
104 As of Q2 2014 O2 is included under Three Group umbrella. For more details see note on page 9 of this report.
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Figure 4.7.2 – Market Share – Number of Subscriptions (ex. mobile broadband and M2M)
Figure 4.7.3 shows market shares by total retail revenues for mobile operators.
Vodafone’s market share remains highest at 42.2% followed by Three Group at 33.5%.
Eir Group Mobile’s market share is the next largest at 18.4% followed by Tesco and
OAOs at 4.0% and 1.9% respectively.
Figure 4.7.3 –Market Share by Revenue
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4.8 Switching in the Mobile Market
Figure 4.8.1 illustrates the number of subscribers who port their numbers as a
proportion of total gross additions105. There were 460,910 gross additional subscriptions
in Q1 2017. In the quarter to March 2017, 91,128 numbers were ported between mobile
operators with a total of 366,853 numbers having been ported over a twelve month
period. Gross additions via ported numbers accounted for 19.8% of total gross additions
in Q1 2017.
Figure 4.8.1 – Gross Subscription Additions and Numbers Ported
4.9 Mobile Pricing Data
ComReg uses independently collated Strategy Analytics (Teligen) pricing data using
OECD-approved methodologies to examine the relative prices of a number of specific
mobile phone usage baskets of national and international telecoms services for both
residential and business users. The pricing data used for international comparisons
includes pricing information for selected countries, namely Germany, Denmark, Spain,
Netherlands and the United Kingdom106.
105 Gross additions include consumers who decide to avail of multiple SIMs and thus, slightly overstate the switching intensity in Ireland.
106 In future QKDRs ComReg may expand the analysis and include more countries for international price comparisons.
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For national comparisons, the prices advertised107 by the largest operators (in terms of
the number of subscribers to mobile voice services) during Q1 2017 were analysed108 for
selected usage baskets. In this QKDR prices advertised by Three, Vodafone, Meteor, Eir
Mobile, Tesco, Lycamobile, iD, Virgin Media and 48 were analysed. Thus, the analysis
does not necessarily present the cheapest tariffs available in the whole market, but
rather the lowest cost tariffs offered by the largest operators.
For international comparisons, the prices advertised109 by largest operators (in terms of
the number of subscribers to mobile voice services) in each of the respective countries
during Q1 2017 were analysed 110 for selected OECD mobile phone usage baskets 111
(with an average per country price presented based on the average of lowest price
tariffs advertised by three highest ranking operators in national pricing comparisons). In
order to enable international comparisons, prices are presented in Euro Purchasing
Power Parities (PPPs) and exclude VAT charges. PPPs provide an indication of the cost of
telecoms services in countries analysed in relation to the cost of all other products and
services.
The presented analysis incorporates discounts offered by operators. Nonrecurring
charges (e.g. charges for the activation of a service) are discounted/amortised over
three years. Calls to mobile (on-net and off-net) and fixed phones are included in the
baskets.
The OECD basket methodologies are reviewed and revised periodically, with the latest
revision made in 2012112. Further information on the composition of the broadband
basket can be found in the Explanatory Memorandum which accompanies this report.
The following baskets are presented in this report113:
107 The pricing analysis is based on a review of operators’ advertised prices in the period Q1 2017.
108 The subscribers of these operators jointly account for over 99% of all mobile voice subscribers. 4G tariffs were included in the analysis.
109 The pricing analysis is based on a review of operators’ advertised prices in the period Q1 2017.
110 The subscribers of these operators jointly account for over 80% of all mobile voice subscribers in each of the respective countries.
111 The same basket was applied to each respective country in order to make the international comparison.
112 See http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k92wd5kw0nw-en.
113 In the future QKDRs ComReg may expand the analysis and present price comparisons based on additional and/or different usage baskets.
Postpaid Residential 100 calls (182 minutes), 140 SMS and
2GB data basket
Business 300 calls (569 minutes), 225 SMS and
1GB data basket
These baskets were selected given they most closely related to the mobile voice usage
patterns presented in figures 4.3.4 and 4.3.5 above. ComReg notes that these baskets
reflect usage patterns of an average user and do not necessarily reflect prices of tariffs
that are geared towards customers having different usage profiles.
ComReg notes that comparisons are based on the prices of advertised tariffs only and
the analysis does not take into consideration other important factors such as quality of
the network, levels of customer care, additional units of consumption available after
having accounted in the analysis for the units in the OECD usage basket, minimum
contract term etc.
OECD Pre-Paid Residential Mobile Basket114
Figure 4.9.1 compares pre-paid tariffs advertised by mobile phone services providers for
residential customers based on a basket of 30 calls (50 minutes), 100 SMS and 100 MB
data usage. Lycamobile (€9.00) offers the cheapest tariff for this particular OECD
basket, followed by 48 (€10.00) and iD (€15.00).
114 ComReg notes that for pre-paid tariffs requiring periodic mandatory top ups (e.g. mandatory monthly (30 day) top ups), the full cost of the top up would be taken into consideration when estimating the total cost of these tariffs.
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Figure 4.9.1 – Residential Pre-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (National)115
Figure 4.9.2 illustrates Ireland’s ranking alongside five other Western European
countries. Ireland ranks in second place with an average price of €9.21 116 for this
particular basket. The average price in Ireland is 35.8% cheaper than the average
price117 for all of the countries included in the analysis.
115 Fixed element of the price refers to the pre-paid tariffs that require mandatory top-ups.
116 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
117 The average of prices presented in Figure 4.9.2.
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Figure 4.9.2 – Residential Pre-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (International)
OECD Post-Paid Residential Mobile Basket
Figure 4.9.3 compares post-paid tariffs advertised by mobile phone service providers for
residential customers based on a basket of 100 calls (182 minutes), 140 SMS and 2GB
data usage. Meteor offers the cheapest tariffs for this particular basket at €19.17
followed by iD (€20.00) and Tesco (€25.00).
Figure 4.9.3 – Residential Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (National)
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Figure 4.9.4 shows that Ireland (€17.62118), in an international comparison context,
ranks in third place. The average price in Ireland is 18.6% cheaper than the average
price119 for all of the countries included in the analysis.
Figure 4.9.4 – Residential Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (International)
OECD Post-Paid Business Mobile Basket
Figure 4.9.5 compares post-paid tariffs advertised by mobile phone service providers120
for business customers based on an OECD basket of 300 calls (569 minutes), 225 SMS
and 1 GB data usage. Presented prices exclude VAT charges. Eir Mobile offers the
cheapest tariff for this particular basket at €20.00, followed by Three (€25.00) and
Vodafone (€40.00).
118 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
119 The average of prices presented in Figure 4.9.4.
120 Only tariffs advertised by Vodafone and Three were analysed for business customers. Some operators do not offer services to business customers.
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Figure 4.9.5 – Business Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (National)
Figure 4.9.6 illustrates Ireland’s ranking alongside five other Western European
countries. Ireland ranks in third place with an average price of €28.33 121 for this
particular basket. The average price in Ireland is 9.1% more expensive than the average
price122 for all of the countries included in the analysis.
Figure 4.9.6 – Business Post-paid Mobile Phone Services Basket (International)
121 As noted previously, average prices used for international comparisons exclude VAT charges.
122 The average of prices presented in Figure 4.9.6.
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5. Broadcasting 5.1 Overall Broadcasting Market
This broadcasting data is from the Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (TAM)
Establishment Survey.123 The Survey indicated that there were 1,578,000 TV homes in
Ireland in January 2017.124 Figure 5.1.1 shows the estimated number of TV homes by
reception type in January 2017 and July 2016 on the basis of the reception method
through which the highest number of TV channels is received. Irish terrestrial DTT only
homes represented 12.1% of all TV homes (although 42% of TV homes receive Irish
DTT) as of January 2017. Cable/satellite platforms represented the remaining 87.9% of
all TV homes in Ireland.125
Figure 5.1.1 – TV Homes by Reception Type126
Reception January 2017
(000s)
January 2016
(000s)
Jan. 2016 as
% of Total TV
Homes
% Change
Jan. ‘16 –
Jan. ‘17
Irish Terrestrial 191 186 12.1% +2.7%
Multi Total 1,387 1,383 87.9% +0.3%
Analogue Cable/Sat
16 21 1.0% -23.8%
Digital Cable/Sat
1,371 1,362 86.9% +0.7%
IPTV 51 29 3.2% +75.8
Total Cable/Sat 1,387 1,383 87.9% +0.3%
Total TV Homes 1,578 1,569 N/A +0.6%
RECEPTION: Reception type categories are hierarchically defined and mutually exclusive. A home is classified once within reception type and this is based upon the highest form of reception available within the home.
Multi Total: Made up of UK DTT / FTA Satellite, Cable, and SKY homes.
Irish Terrestrial refers to homes which only receive any or all of the following: RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, UTV Ireland, TV3, TG4, 3e, RTÉ One+1, RTÉ News Now, RTÉ jr via an aerial and a set-top box or an aerial and an integrated digital TV or via Saorsat.
Cable/Satellite: Includes UK DTT / FTA Satellite, Cable, IPTV and SKY homes. Sky homes based on the possession of SKY boxes, not on being SKY subscribers.
123 The Establishment Survey is a survey produced by Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (fieldwork is carried out by Behaviours and Attitudes) on behalf of Television Audience Measurement Ireland Ltd (a TV ratings body). The Establishment Survey covers areas such as ownership of TV related equipment, method of TV reception and demographics of TV household individuals such as age etc. 124 From Q2 2016 TAM data is based on biannual surveys (January and July) rather than three times a year. Therefore Q2 and Q3 will contain the same data as will Q4 and Q1 of the following year.
125 Approximately 362,000 of those reported above as digital cable/sat and total cable/sat are UK DTT/FTA satellite. MMDS (Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service), was discontinued in April 2016. 126 Source: Nielsen TV Audience Measurement Establishment Survey on behalf of TAM Ireland. 77 ComReg 17/50
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Figure 5.1.2 shows TV homes by reception method127 from January 2014 to January
2017. The percentage of cable/satellite TV homes (this does not include other satellite
i.e. respondents who said ‘don’t know’ and satellites that receive foreign language
stations including freesat) has declined from 71% to 63% over the last three years.128
Television homes that subscribe to other satellite services beside Sky represented 19%
of TV homes in January 2017. Reception by IPTV method is relatively low (3% of TV
homes). Approximately 42% of TV homes have Irish DTT.
Figure 5.1.2 – TV Homes by Reception Method129
127 This is determined by the method by which homes with a TV receive their channels. Each home can have more than one method of reception e.g. aerial and cable or digital satellite, digital satellite and cable, etc. The question is asked for their main and up to 9 TV sets. For this reason, the total for the reception methods adds up to more than 100%. 128 It should be noted that from September 2011 the reporting of the cable/satellite figure has changed. This is because up to September 2011 cable/satellite reception method included homes that had both cable and satellite twice (i.e. (1) cable, (1) satellite). Nielsen now publish homes with cable and satellite as one reception method - as cable or satellite (i.e. cable or satellite (1)).
129 As of November 2012 'Aerial' includes Saorsat homes. Irish DTT includes Saorsat. Cable/satellite includes MMDS and IPTV, excludes UK DTT, Irish DTT and Saorsat.
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Figure 5.1.3 shows that, the total number of TV homes in January 2017 has increased
by 0.6% since January 2016. Digital TV homes represent 98.9% of all TV homes
compared to 75.5% in January 2012.
Figure 5.1.3 – TV Homes 2012 –2017
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Figure 5.1.4 shows TV homes by broadband 130 access, game console and PVR 131
ownership between January 2014 and January 2017. Broadband access was present in
circa 79% of homes with a television in January 2017. The number of homes with
games consoles has increased over the last three years from 31% to 33%. PVR
ownership was 60% in January 2017; up from 54% in January 2014.
Figure 5.1.4 – Broadband, Games Console and PVR Trends
130 Both fixed and mobile broadband.
131 A PVR is an electronic device used to record media digitally. The PVR is also known as a digital video recorder or DVR. A PVR records and plays back television programmes, but, unlike the VCR, it stores the programs in digital rather than analogue format, for example, SKY+Box, or Virgin Media Digital Video Recorder. 80 ComReg 17/50
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Figure 5.1.5 shows the level of household penetration of pay TV services and free to air
TV services in Ireland based on reception method. This chart has been derived by
ComReg using Nielsen data and is not a classification used by Nielsen or a classification
used as part of the survey itself. Homes with a pay TV (cable, satellite and IPTV
homes) 132 service were generally stable from January 2013 to July 2016 at 71%
average of all TV homes. However, we have seen a decrease in the latter half of 2016
with the figure at 66% in January 2017.
Figure 5.1.5 – Pay TV vs Free to Air TV Homes, 2012 - 2017
132 IPTV is included from September 2011.
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6. Appendix Sky Ireland’s distribution of subscriptions by type (single play, double play or triple play)
is estimated using percentage distribution of Sky Ireland’s subscriptions obtained from
the market survey data conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes Ltd. The fieldwork on
ComReg’s behalf was carried out between 16th – 30th March, 2017. 1,000
respondents133 were asked the following question:
• Does the service provider, Sky, provide any of the following services in your
home?
TV
Broadband
Home Landline service
Respondents who stated that Sky provides more than one service (170 respondents)
were then asked the following question:
• You mentioned that Sky provides your (previous answer). Do you receive one bill
for these services (if 2 services mentioned) receive one bill for at least two of this
services (if 3 services mentioned)?
The respondents who gave a positive answer to the second question (138 respondents)
are categorized as bundle subscribers.
Table A1: Sky Ireland’s Distribution of Subscriptions Type
Subscription type
(n=525)134
Number of Sky’s
subscriptions
% share of total
Sky’s subscriptions
TV 328 62.5%
Broadband 49 9.3%
Fixed Voice 10 0.0%
TV and Fixed Voice 0 0.4%
TV and Broadband 71 13.5%
Fixed Voice and Broadband
1 0.2%
TV, Fixed Voice and Broadband
66 12.6%
133 The sample was nationally representative. 134 The margin of error for the sample who stated that Sky Ireland provided them with at least one service is approximately +/- 4.5%.
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Survey results showed that 73.7% of Sky Ireland’s subscribers were subscribing to one
service, 13.7% to two services and 12.6% to three services.
Figure A2 shows the estimated distribution of Sky Ireland’s subscriptions by type over
the last two years. As of Q1 2017 the number of bundled subscriptions (double and
triple play) accounts for 26.3% of all Sky Ireland’s subscriptions compared to 18.6% in
Q1 2015.
Figure A2: Sky Ireland’s Distribution of Subscription Type
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The following table lists Respondents who submitted data which was used to produce
the Q1 2017 Quarterly Key Data Report.
Table A3: List of Respondents
Respondent Name (N=41)
AirSpeed Telecom AT&T Global Network Services Ireland Ltd. ATS Voice Ltd. Blueface Ltd. BT Communications Ireland Ltd. Casey Cablevision Ltd. Colt Technology Services Ltd. Crossan CableComm Ltd. Digitalforge Digiweb Ltd. Edge Telecommunications Ltd. Eircom Ltd. E-Net Equant operations in Ireland (EGN BV and ENS Ltd.) ESB Telecoms EuNetworks Ireland Private Fiber Ltd. Europasat Satellite (Ireland) Ltd. Fastcom Broadband Ltd. Fulnett Limited t/a Strencom ID IFA Telecom Imagine Group Level 3 Communications (Ireland) Ltd. Lycamobile Ireland Ltd. Magnet Networks Ltd. Meteor Mobile Communications Ltd. Modeva Networks Nova Networks Ltd. Permanet Ltd. Postmobile Pure Telecom Ltd. Rapid Broadband Ltd. Ripplecom Ltd. Sky Ireland Ltd. SprintLink Ireland Ltd. Tesco Mobile Ireland Ltd. Three Ireland (Hutchison) Ltd. Virgin Media Business Ltd. Virgin Media Ireland Ltd. Verizon Ireland Ltd. Vodafone Ireland Ltd.